May 16, 2016

Tea has become something very special to me because its uses are almost endless. Not only is tea my go to beverage in replacement of coffee, juice, pop and enhances of course water but it can also be used in your cooking /baking, garden and yes even your wardrobe.

*Please note I didn't use the undergarments as such in the details below, but rather substituted for a white t-shirt to demonstrate the effect of Tea Dye.*

A friend of mine a few years back was getting married on a beach. She got this beautiful light creamy colored dress as opposed to your traditional white ensemble. She looked stunning. The day before her wedding we are ticking of everything we needed for the next morning, dress, shoes, and accessories and of course under garments. At the time we didn’t think much of it but on the beach in the sun and in that light creamy flowing dress all we could see is a white bra, white panties. Now a normal person would have just walked to the nearest store and bought something in a cream color and be done with it. Well, being hours away from the nearest store we didn’t have that option and at the time of the dress fitting with the store lighting we didn’t much notice the garments peeking out from under the dress. Thankfully my crafty and inventive grandmother suggested tea. Black tea to be more specific. We headed over to our cabins kitchen and fished out the many bags of earl grey tea each of us never forget to pack. Tea is served breakfast, lunch, and dinner in my family so there is always some nearby. Using about 4 tea bags in 1 litre of hot water we steeped the black tea and watched the water transform into what we used as fabric dye. We let the tea cool for a few minutes and placed the garments directly into the tea. After about 20 minutes we removed the clothing and viola light creamy colored garments. No rinsing of the clothing is required simply hang to dry and your good to go. This also works for any white blouses you may have which have yellowed around the under arm area over time, or you simply would like to change the look of some of your clothing. I have gotten the best results using light and airy materials to soak in black tea and the end product is truly unique.

So the next time you need a fabric quick fix or want to bring a blouse back to life tea may just be all you need. If you want to see what i mean, just take a look below!

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April 22, 2016

A twist on a Cuban Favorite, our mojito takes it to the next level. For most, the mojito is a summer favorite and for some a signature go to. With Spring in the air and summer around the corner, it is time to perfect our methods. New to the table is a healthier alternative, loaded with antioxidants, let me show you.

In tall glass(14-18oz) muddle mint, sweetener, and add lime juice(about one tsp). Fill glass with ice, add rum and top with chilled Green tea, stir well. For an added spritzer effect top with Club Soda, Pellegrino sparkling water or Perrier.

Garnish: Lime wedge & mint

April 12, 2016

Probably the best little dessert around- perfect as a dessert by itself, sweet tooth fix, or a dessert complement. Best of all, it’s simple, easy to make- no bake- Matcha dessert truffle. The whole process took me a total of 15 minutes to prep, overnight refrigeration and 15 minutes to roll into balls the next morning. All you need is:

1 ½ Cup White Chocolate

2 ½ Tsp Tea Blendz Matcha

1/3 Cup Heavy cream( I used a heavy whipping cream)

4 Tbsp Unsalted butter

And 1 Tsp each Matcha & icing sugar (dusting for final roll)

As for instructions they are pretty simple

In saucepan, heat cream and butter and sift in matcha as butter melts. Make sure to whisk so matcha blends seamlessly and continue to Heat on low until bubbles start to form.

March 24, 2016

As always, here I am experimenting with tea and I have recently been looking into ideas with eggs; since Easter is right around the corner. I came around an old Chinese method of making marbled eggs, so I thought-why not? - I’ll make my own!

I took a simple recipe and made it even shorter and ultimately easier to make. All I needed was:

First thing I did was make sure I hard boiled my eggs, so in a small pot I brought my water to a boil and let my eggs dance around over medium heat for 10 minutes.

After a hard boil, I removed the eggs and let them cool for a couple minutes just enough so I could hold them without burning my fingers (placing them in cold water also works).

At the same time, after removing the eggs after the hard boil I placed the tea bags, star anise, cracked pepper and brown sugar to the water.

While the tea is steeping, I gently tapped each individual egg with the edge of a spoon to create a cracked egg effect all over but also making sure the shell did not chip or peel off. Once all eggs where complete, I returned them to my pot with the new tea mixture.

I allowed these eggs to simmer on the lowest setting for 90 minutes (More intense flavours happen with longer simmer times)

Once you decide to remove the eggs, you can either store them for a couple days in the fridge or peel them immediately but be VERY careful and gentle when taking the shell off.

And there you go! A simple step by step to create a flavoured egg with beautiful dark marble stains! Of course you can always make variations of the ingredients.. I bet this marbled egg would taste lovely with a Tea Blendz cream earl grey and some vanilla syrup!!

Most drink tea because they relatively enjoy the meditative process of creating a little magic in a cup, or simply because of the taste and scents that consume the room. We all know and have heard about the health benefits of tea but, how much do you really know about the other ingredients such as spices, that you’re getting from the specific cup you’re drinking.

Due to the fact chai actually contains several spices, Not very many know that “chai” is actually a form of medicine used by the ancient Ayurveda methods. I took the list of ingredients to Tea Blendz Masala Chai Explosion ( black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander and clove.) and we’ll help explain some of their best benefits.

Ginger

Probably the most widely known for its effective cold and flu assistance, ginger also helps assist the body with so much more. Thanks to its awesome ability to absorb and stimulate nutrients ginger offers antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory effects.

Cardamom

Of course cardamom has more than a few benefits but the most relatively predominant feature is its ability to improve digestion by speeding up the process. Cardamom reduces inflammation that can be associated with heart burn, and apparently helps reduce acidity level within the gut flora to assist with gas, bloating and indigestion.

Cinnamon

As per a previous Tea Blendz blog based on cinnamon, Cinnamon can improve sensitivity to insulin, and there is seemingly a link to improving neurodegenerative diseases. Cinnamon has highly potent polyphenols and has been linked with reducing the risk of heart disease by reducing the levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Coriander

Also known as cilantro to many of us, has a list of health benefits that seems to take pages and pages worth of explanations. To make it short, Coriander has components and oils that help with skin inflammation & skin disorders, lowers cholesterol levels, reducing blood pressure, mouth ulcers, anemia, properties aiding in anti-histamines, bone health, digestion and much much more!

Clove

Just to name a few, cloves are acknowledged to have: antioxidant, anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, warming and soothing properties, anti-flatulent properties by providing higher gut motility therefore, helping relieve indigestion and constipation problems.

Therefore to sum up chai, is to expect lots of advantageous health perks such as digestion aid, help with anti-inflammation, improved blood sugar levels and an overall super potent mix in helping fight free radicals through the body’s natural oxidation process through its superb antioxidant structures.

For a tea enthusiast, like myself, I am always trying to figure out a new way to incorporate tea into my everyday life. Of course, drinking tea is essential but where’s the fun if you can’t explore the options!

As someone who exfoliates regularly, I thought; why not make a scrub that includes tea? I’ve seen the product out there for purchase, but why would I spend the money to buy it when I have all the necessities to make it right at home? And so I began..

First, I needed the scrub base, something to help exfoliate when scrubbing, I used Epsom salts. I also used a CTC (cut-tear-curl) type tea leaf, because I know this type of tea leaf will not change its consistency when exposed to moisture's such as steam, water or oils.

For my CTC tea I used Irish Breakfast, Thankfully Tea Blendz has this available.

Secondly I added some vanilla, because well…I simply like vanilla, besides it smells nice.

February 10, 2016

If you have bought fine teas you’ll want to be sure you store them properly, once you get them home.

Let us tell you why!

Tea is hygroscopic; that is, it absorbs moisture from the air and in addition to moisture it also absorbs odours and fragrances, which are in close proximity. Even though you have put your tea in a well-sealed container, it is best not to store it near anything that is highly fragrant, such as coffee, cinnamon or other fragrant spices.

“It is truly a shame when your favourite tea begins to tastes just like coffee, because it was convenient to put them in the same cabinet.”

A general rule of thumb is that most teas should be consumed within a year or so of being purchased. This is not because tea goes bad, but rather because it will lose it flavour over time. Matcha, is the exception to the rule, it should be used within three months or so upon opening.

Storing your favourite Tea

Store all of your favourite Tea Blendz teas away from light in a cool dry place, at room temperature and in an opaque airtight container. The container can be a ceramic canister, a tin, a foil pouch or non-permeable bag.

Moisture is detrimental to a delicate tea leaf, once wet, it begins to mold and decay. For this reason, we do not recommend storing tea in the refrigerator or freezer because continual opening and closing of the door relates to temperature differentials which causes rapid changes in humidity. This spike in humidity allows moisture to seep into the tea and robs the leaves of their flavour.